TROY — When Nicki Ingle grew weary of painful menstrual periods, she turned for help to Katherine Bachman, M.D., her gynecologist at Premier Women’s Center.
Several years after giving birth to two sons, the Piqua area resident said her menstrual periods had become increasingly painful.
“When it gets to the point where it is affecting four, five, six days of your month, that is ridiculous,” Ingle said. “It was just very, very uncomfortable.”
Ingle said she was taking more over-the-counter medications hoping to ease the pain of what was diagnosed as adenomyosis, a condition in which the lining of uterus invades the organ’s muscles and makes periods painful.
Bachman wanted to explore options including medicinal treatment, injections, or a hysterectomy.
COVID-19 delayed an ultrasound intended to narrow Ingle’s treatment options. After elective procedures resumed, the ultrasound led to a diagnosis and referral to Bachman’s partner at the Women’s Center, Larry Holland, D.O.
After reviewing Ingle’s history and test results, Ingle and Holland discussed options for her condition. She decided to proceed with surgical intervention. Holland agreed and chose Robotic Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy with removal of the fallopian tubes.
“I felt the robotic approach would be best for her. I explained that I could perform her procedure through three small incisions, all about the diameter of her little finger,” Holland said.
Ingle said she loves her relationship with Bachman but felt equally welcome by Dr. Holland as well as Alaine Kirby, the advanced practice provider who assists him in surgery.
“One thing I really liked was he sat down next to me, not across from me. He showed me visuals so I could understand what was going on,” she said.
The outpatient surgery, performed at Upper Valley Medical Center, has made a huge difference in Ingle’s daily life.
The surgery itself was not easy, Holland said. He explained Ingle had problematic adhesions he needed to remove during the procedure as well other challenges.
“Even with the additional procedures needed in Nicki’s procedure, her surgery only lasted 78 minutes,” he said.
Ingle used minimal pain medication during her recovery, a fact that Holland attributed to the UVMC anesthesia team. She also received a TAP block during the procedure, which allows most post-surgical robotic hysterectomy cases to have adequate pain control and not need narcotic pain medications, he said.
“The hysterectomy, the way he did it, was just unbelievable. I had very little pain, very little pain medicine,” Ingle said. “The hysterectomy recovery was easier than one month’s period, so it was a piece of cake.”
Ingle said she was very impressed by her care team including the nurses in the operating room and those who cared for her before and after surgery.
“I always feel like I am the only person they have to take care of. I don’t feel rushed,” Ingle said.
Off work as a customer service/inside sales representative for a week post-surgery, Ingle recovered and was “back to my normal being in two weeks or less for the most part.”
Holland said robotic surgery offers many benefits to patients over an open procedure. These include smaller incisions with less chance for infection; shorter hospital stays; less pain; a faster return to normal activities; less scarring; and minimal blood loss. Ingle benefited from most of these advantages, Holland said.
The robotic surgery platform also provides benefits to surgeons such as greater visualization, enhanced dexterity, and greater precision during a procedure, he said.
Cooperation among colleagues such as Bachman is not unusual for the Women’s Center, Holland said.
“We are all practicing OB/GYNs; all have areas of specialty. You know your patient’s needs and are looking for what is best for the patient,” he said. “There is no hesitation to refer to someone in the group to achieve the desired outcome.”
Premier Women’s Center is a full-service OB/GYN office with a full line of gynecology and obstetrical care. It offers routine GYN visits such as annual exams, STD evaluations, contraception, infertility, evaluation of abnormal menstrual cycles, uterine fibroid treatment, pelvic pain, endometriosis, post-menopausal bleeding, hormone replacement, urinary incontinence, and pelvic prolapse. A complete line of obstetrical care to include high routine and high-risk pregnancies also is offered.
The main office is at 101 Looney Road, Piqua, with satellite offices at 1529 Fair Road, Sidney and at UVMC Physician Office Building in Troy.
The center has eight providers with four physicians: Holland, Bachman, Augustina Addison, M.D., and Terence Young, M.D. — and four advance practice providers: Alaine Kirby, Kimberly Diltz, Jenni Doseck, and Michele Josefovsky.
For more information on Premier Women’s Center, call 937-335-1660.
